Ardpatrick, County Limerick

Ardpatrick (Irish: Ard Pádraig, meaning 'Patrick's height')^[1] is a small village in County Limerick, Ireland. It lies at the foot of the north slopes of the Ballyhoura Mountains, on the edge of the Golden Vale. As of the 2006 census, the electoral division of Ardpatrick which contains the village, had a population of 398.^[2]

Ardpatrick Ard Pádraig
Village
Road junction and pub in Ardpatrick village
Ardpatrick Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52.3413°N 8.5252°W / 52.3413; -8.5252
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Limerick
Dáil Éireann	Limerick County
Eircode routing key	V35
Dialling code	063

In an area which was anciently known as Tulach na Féinne (Hill of the Fianna),^[3][4] the village comprises a small number of houses around a Roman Catholic parish church. At the south end of the village is a memorial garden and tourist information. Each summer there is a 3-day, "Festival na Fianna". The Greenwood, just to the south of the village, gives access to walking trails across the countryside.

History

Ruins of early ecclesiastical site above the village

On the hill above the village is the site of a 5th-century monastery and round tower or cloictheach, now in ruins. Legend tells of a peal of 7 silver bells which once hung in the tower. The monastery was reputedly founded by St. Patrick himself,^[5] and is surrounded by earthworks probably far more ancient.^{[citation needed]}

From the hill can be seen Castle Oliver, a 19th-century mansion built by the Oliver Gascoignes, an Anglo-Irish family. Its stained glass windows, which feature the life of St. Patrick, have since been restored.^{[citation needed]}

The local parish church, Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic church, was built in 1835 and renovated in the 1920s.^[6] Ardpatrick was formerly joined with neighboring parish Kilfinane.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• John Fleming, Roman Catholic prelate and current Bishop of Killala, born in Sunville

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Ard Pádraig / Ardpatrick". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
2. "CSO.ie - 2006 Census - Preliminary Report (Table 4 page 61)" (PDF). Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2009.
3. Hayes O'Grady, Standish. Acallam na Senórach, Colloquy of the Ancients. p. 20.
4. Westropp, T. J. (1922). "The "mound of the Fiana" at Cromwell Hill, Co. Limerick, and a note on Temair Luachra". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (36): 68–85. JSTOR 25504223.
5. Westropp, T.J. (1905). "A survey of the ancient churches of Co. Limerick". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (25C): 327–479.
6. "Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Sunville Upper, Ardpatrick, Limerick". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

External links

• Ardpatrick.ie - village website